HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Community Development & Community Services Committee 2012-08-23RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, August 23, 2012
Minutes of a Regular meeting of the COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT /
COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer
County, Colorado. Meeting held in Town Hall in said Town of Estes Park on
the 23rd day of August, 2012.
Committee:
Attending:
Also Attending:
Absent:
Chair Ericson, Trustees Elrod and Norris
Chair Ericson, Trustees Elrod and Norris
Town Administrator Lancaster, Assistant Town Administrator
Richardson, Director Chilcott, Managers Winslow, Fortini
and Salerno, and Deputy Town Clerk Deats
None
Chair Ericson called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m.
PUBLIC COMMENT.
None
COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
REPORTS.
Reports provided for informational purposes and made a part of the proceedings.
• September Events Report - Manager Winslow reported that the BioBlitz
sponsored by National Geographic and the National Park Service is scheduled
for the final weekend of August and that the Scottish Festival will be held
September 6-9, 2012. Upcoming fall events include: John Denver Tribute
Concert, the Labor Day Arts and Crafts Show, Elk Fest, and the Snow and Ice
Conference. In addition, the fairgrounds will be utilized to accommodate events
originally scheduled at the Ranch in Loveland that now cannot be held at that
venue due to renovations at the facility. Staff is looking into two new events for
2013: a chuck wagon cook-off and a combination dressage, cross-country and
jumping event. The Committee encouraged staff to look into events that can be
added to the shoulder season schedule.
• Verbal Updates -
o Museum/Senior Center Request for Proposal (RFP) - Manager Fortini
said that three proposals have been received which are currently being
reviewed at the staff level. Following staff review and discussions with the
Senior Center and Museum Boards a report and recommendation will be
brought forward to the CDCS Committee,
o Visitor Center Activity Report - Manager Salerno reported that both the TV
screen and the public-use computer that were installed at the CVB have
been well-received. She noted that visitor numbers for July were down
23.5%, August numbers to date were 20.5% lower than 2011 visitor totals,
and cited the fires that occurred earlier this summer as a possible cause
for the downturn. The Committee thanked Manager Salerno for her
participation in the recent visit with Grand Lake town officials.
Shuttle Report - Brian Wells, Shuttle Coordinator, said that, to date,
shuttle ridership is down 1.5% from last year. He said positive feedback
has been received from users of the shuttle which includes both visitors
and locals who have been taking advantage of the service. Stop-by-stop
data comparisons for 2011 and 2012 will be compiled and shared with the
Trustees to provide information for decision-making related to future
shuttle service.
Pro-Cvclino Events - Manager Winslow reported that enthusiasm for
o
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Community Development / Community Services - August 23, 2012 - Page 2
bringing the Pro Cycle Challenge to Estes Park in 2013 is high and said
that three launch parties have been held. He said next steps include
determining what type of contribution the Town of Estes Park and Visit
Estes Park can make to the event and submitting a bid, with the results of
the bid to be made public in December 2012. Trustee Norris suggested
that the Trustees and Mayor write individual letters of support to include
with the bid package.
Event Oversight — Manager Winslow said that in regard to downtown
special events, staff utilizes guidelines to select vendors who do not
compete with established downtown merchants. Sales tax compliance
among special event vendors is the responsibility of the special event
organizer, however. Finance Officer McFarland does conduct random
reviews of the events.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
REPORTS.
Reports provided for informational purposes and made a part of the proceedings.
• Community Development Monthly Report - Director Chilcott highlighted activities
within the Community Development Department including: community meetings
to address enhancing planning and building division services to be held in
October; hiring of Karlin Goggin as the Senior Building Permit Technician; year-
to-date building permit totals remain approximately the same as 2011; building
officials are performing approximately 16 building inspections per day; life and
safety code compliance concerns continue to be addressed including issues
related to the Courtyard building; and staff met with a potential buyer of Mary’s
Lake Lodge regarding open permits. Planning staff has received numerous pre
applications over the past month with a variety of new projects underway, and is
continuing to work with the Estes Valley Planning Commission (EVPC) on the
Comprehensive Plan. Director Chilcott noted that the transportation section of
the plan will be reviewed by the Planning Commission to determine if changes to
remove obsolete references and bring the code up to date are necessary. She
said that an opening exists on the Planning Commission due to the resignation of
Commissioner Rex Poggenpohl.
• Outdoor Sales. Storage, and Display Downtown (Court Decision) - Staff reported
on a 2011 municipal court decision related to a summons and complaint that was
issued to the Estes Park Sweatshirt Center last year. Staff had been directed to
strictly enforce the ‘containment provision’ of the Sign Code and the Estes Valley
Development Code in the downtown area. A summons was issued because the
outside alcove area was being utilized to display merchandise. Municipal Judge
Brown found that any ambiguity in the code language was to be construed in
favor of the property owner, and held that the display of merchandise inside the
alcove was a display or activity ‘’within the interior of a building. Based on this
decision, staff proposes a discussion concerning retail sales and displays
downtown is warranted.
• Verbal Updates - .j ^
o Sion Compliance - In the current sign code, an election sign is considered
a temporary sign. It is staffs understanding that, according to a suprerne
court decision, the amount of time an election sign can be displayed prior
to an election cannot be limited because the display is considered
freedom of speech, however, limits can be defined as to when the sign
must be removed after an election. Staff will follow-up on this matter with
Attorney White for confirmation.
o Staffing - The Community Development Department is currently fully
staffed at the 2012 authorized staffing level. Director Chilcott continues to
review processes related to building permits, the existing software system,
and the flow of work related to necessary comments and approvals.
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Community Development / Community Services - August 23, 2012 - Page 3
o
ADMINISTRATION.
Reports provided for informational purposes and made a part of the proceedings.
• Verbal Updates -
Policy Inventory - The review of Town policies is underway with an
inventory and prioritization process being utilized. Personnel policies are
currently being addressed and Assistant Town Administrator Richardson
said that the new personnel policy may be ready to bring fon/vard to the
Board by the end of the year. The Committee commented that the
previous Board was confused by the personnel compensation policy
during the 2012 budgeting process and, in light of the upcoming budgeting
process for 2013, requested re-education on the existing policy related to
compensation. Town Administrator Lancaster said that discussion with
the Board about several topics related to compensation would be
beneficial including the Board’s philosophy on compensation, how
compensation is related to the market, identification of the market for
comparison purposes; the classification of jobs; and re-classification of
employees. The adoption of an interim policy position relative to
compensation to assist the Trustees with decisions through the budgeting
process was proposed. Chair Ericson said now is the time to be pro
active and look to the leadership team and administration for
recommendations and input. Town Administrator Lancaster said it is
important to make sure policies are correct, meet the needs of the
organization, and add value to the product being provided to the citizens
of Estes Park.
2013 Budget Status - Finance Officer McFarland reported that data has
been entered into the preliminary budget for 2013 and adjustments have
been made to the 2012 budget. Meetings are being held with
administration and the department heads to justify large increases,
decreases, and changes to the budget. He discussed migrating capital
items into the Community Reinvestment Fund and moving expenses from
one department to another which would produce significant changes in the
budget.
Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) - Chair Ericson said the
Town had previously submitted a resolution to WAPA related to the
Board’s position regarding the proposed transmission line rebuild. Trustee
Elrod asked that the County Commissioners be diligent in representing
their constituents since most of the rebuild is outside of the Estes Park
town limits.
There being no further business. Chair Ericson adjourned the meeting at 9:22 a.m.
CynthiaDeats, Deputy Town Clerk
APPROVED
SEP 1 1 2012
TOWN OF ESTES PARK
BOARD OF TRUSTEES